Oscar Brennan brings his solo drag-cabaret show, Self Censored, to Edinburgh Fringe this year. With optional audience participation, direction from Finn Samuels, and songs by Maria Hallows, this blends raw, personal storytelling with music.
Where: Clover Studio at Greenside @ Riddles Court
When: 7-15 Aug
Ticket link: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/self-censored
What can you tell us about your show? What is it about and where did the idea come from?
Self Censored is a solo drag-cabaret theatre show with original live music exploring autism, masculinity, and masking. Set inside a fractured subconscious, it follows a chaotic drag persona and an overprotective childhood plushie battling over buried secrets.
The show was developed during my time at Leeds Conservatoire and grew from a desire to use my backgrounds in music, theatre, and drag to tell the kinds of neurodivergent stories and experiences I rarely saw reflected onstage.
How would you sell it to audiences in one paragraph?
When does self-censorship stop protecting you and start erasing you?
Inside a fractured subconscious, a chaotic drag persona and an overprotective childhood plushie battle over buried secrets.
Developed at Leeds Conservatoire and premiered at Leeds Theatre Festival 2024, Self Censored blends comedy, raw personal storytelling and live original music to explore autism, masculinity and the exhausting performance of fitting in – offering an unfiltered glimpse into a mind caught between self-protection and self-expression.
Do you enjoy participating in the Fringe? And do you have any moments you particularly remember?
Absolutely. I grew up in Edinburgh, and some of my earliest experiences performing on stage were with Forth Children’s Theatre during the Fringe, so it has always held a special place in my heart.
The thing I love most about it is the sense of discovery. I’ve seen some of the best theatre of my life simply by taking a chance on a show I’d never heard of.
I’ve also made some treasured memories with friends and family stumbling across brilliant, strange, and completely unexpected work. Bringing Self Censored to the festival now feels like a real full-circle moment.
What are you looking forward to the most in Edinburgh?
I’m really looking forward to being back in my hometown surrounded by so many talented artists all sharing work in the same city.
Scotland has always been a place that pushes boundaries, so bringing a show like Self Censored there feels especially meaningful.
And I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to being back on Scottish turf, getting stuck into a pizza crunch with proper chippy sauce, and performing for a Scottish crowd – there’s nothing quite like it.
One of the things I love most about the Fringe is how willing people are to take a chance on something they’ve never heard of, and I hope Self Censored becomes one of those shows people stumble across by chance and remember long afterwards.
What’s next for the show?
The Fringe feels like an important step in Self Censored‘s journey rather than the finish line.
Since premiering at Leeds Theatre Festival, the show has changed quite a bit, and we’ve continued to develop it into something bigger, bolder, and more personal.
Edinburgh feels like an exciting opportunity to share this new version with audiences while also seeing where the show might go next, whether that’s further development, touring, or future productions.